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Happy Nexus users?

T

tenchy

Well-Known Member
I'm researching my next phone and the specs of the Nexus really draw me, image viewing (not necessarily image taking...) and browsing being a major priority.

I see a lot of problem posts in this section, knowing upset people are more vocal than happy people, can I ask are the problems misrepresentative?

Is the Nexus a good move?
Are you happy?
Are there any definite issues with it?

I thought I'd asked this but my posts don't seem to confirm that...
 
First OP i think you should clarify that you'll be using the GSM model and not the LTE model.

A lot of the problems you see or hear about are specific to the LTE model.


Now with that said I have the LTE model but even with the issues i have i'm still happy with the device because i know the potential that is has.
 
Gsm here, best phone ive owned hands-down.

Few minor hiccups (on my 2nd phone), but 2nd one has been problem free.
 
I have the LTE (VZW) Gnex from release date. I have had dropped 4g/3g, but so has my buddy who has a Razr. I absolutely LOVE this phone! I have since rooted and ROM'd and love it more! I was comparing phones with an iPhone 4s owner on Tuesday and she was astonished with the Gnex. I let her play with it for about 10 minutes and she didn't want to give it back. She has always been an iPhone owner (I tease her about being an iSheep) with the previous two versions. My buddy who owns a Razr regrets not going with the Gnex when he had the opportunity to do it for $30.
 
I think it is an awesome device, but this is a pretty subjective question. The good news is that (unlike the Galaxy S GPS, and with the exception of the speaker volume issue some are complaining about) most of these issues are bugs that are solvable through software, and so probably will be addressed in some form.
The bad news can be that Google manages the software, and while updates come as quickly as possible, they typically address style and continuity issues within Android as a whole (because the Nexus series are the devices that drive Android forward), and not so much non-functional aesthetic issues. This is what leads some people to find the Nexus line to be disappointing, and is why you still see complaints about last year's Nexus S and the original Nexus 1- but in truth they are really the minor sort of bugs, or limitations of the original hardware. I am not pointing this out to discourage you, but just so that you are aware that ALL of the Nexus phones (and pretty much every electronic device ever) have little quirks that may or may not get resolved. I should also point out that the GN is the first Nexus that Google has let a carrier retail, and is yet a third (and arguably more expansive) attempt at mass marketing (especially the Galaxy Nexus commercials) the device. Because of this the GN is special among the other two Nexii, and so I would be willing to bet that Google will be very dedicated to the user interface this time around, and long-term the GN should be much less quirky.
I have had the Nexus 1 and several non-Nexus line Android phones, and I will only buy Nexus Android phones from here on out. Also I should point out that I phone-hop quite a bit, but I can see myself sticking with this phone for 2 years.

To summarize:

  • Yes the GN has quirks, but most are software resolvable.
  • Yes the previous Nexii have had unresolved quirks, but they usually were either UI bugs (which Google hadn't really been focused on) or hardware limitations, and Google seems really dedicated to the UI this time around.
  • In my opinion, the GN is more of an investment phone- it will have longer-term support directly from Google (than non-Nexus phones), while the non-Nexus phones may have a plethora or flashy features right now, but the manufacturers & carriers typically do not update frequently (unless it is a serious issue) and so you have to make sure you are happy with what you get with the phone out of the box.
 
trophynuts said:
First OP i think you should clarify that you'll be using the GSM model and not the LTE model.

A lot of the problems you see or hear about are specific to the LTE model.


Now with that said I have the LTE model but even with the issues i have i'm still happy with the device because i know the potential that is has.
Click to expand...
Yes, this is another good point- because of the differing radios and their necessary firmware, there will be more issues in something trying to combine two different radio technologies than something using a single and more fluid baseband (radio firmware/software). In other words, some problems you see brought up about the LTE version may or may not be present in the GSM version.
 
I own the GSM version and before that had a Galaxy S2 and I'm very happy with it. I have really no problems with it.. sure the camera could be better and the battery too, but it lasts me all day, and I can always swap out batteries if I go on trips.
 
I haven't had any problems that are deal breaking and am pretty stoked with it.

-the screen is a bit grainy at low brightness on whites/greys.
-screen tech not the best for watching poorly compressed movies, and be sure to check the blue/black banding/crush/blockiness issue.
-lte and screen are battery hog.
-verizon lte is a bit unreliable depending on where you are (it's great for me)

But... this phone is AMAZING, the capability and support can't be beat!
 
I'm ecstatic with it, haven't had the slightest problem. My wife is not a techie and she loves hers.

I, too get weary of all the posts complaining about it. Sometimes this forum gets used as a troubleshooter.
 
I have #1 from release day an I'll admit it, I'm a fan boy. This phone is SPECTACULAR. Please remember the small percentage of users that have issues come to the forums to complain. This is a great phone.
 
This is the phone to measure up to on all aspects!

Excellent:
form factor
battery life
camera
snappy interface
benchmarks well
screen is just amazing
my dogs are jealous
etc
etc etc


I'm on VZW so the 50+ Mb downloads are freakin' amazing! YMMV though!
 
The camera is actually great for a cell-phone. My girlfriend has the 4S (which has a highly talked about camera) and to be honest the picture quality is negligible when viewing the pictures on the devices themselves.

If you need a better camera for whatever reasons it may be, go spend 200-300$ on a decent point and shoot or go even further and get yourself a DSLR???
 
Put me down as one of the unsatisfied customers. I was ecstatic with the phone at first, but everything has gone steadily downhill since then. I find it amazing that I can't even stream music in the car without the phone rebooting. Pandora, Slacker, Grooveshark, doesn't matter none of them work for me and I know I'm not alone. Tried again this morning and it rebooted after about 5 seconds. YouTube may as well not even exist it is so frustratingly slow.

And what the hell are the the 3 little pins for on the side of the phone? I wouldn't know because we are going on 2 months and there is still not a single dock that works with them. I wanted to love this phone, but if there aren't some amazing software updates in the next couple weeks I'll be looking elsewhere.
 
I haven't had any random reboots.. it may be a certain app causing all of those reboots by the way
 
verizon GNex here, and im happy with it.. i dont have any of problems ppl post here.
i checked my device detaily.. amoled display have some issues with things (like banding, dark spots, dead/stuck pixels etc) so u should check ur device if u got defect one or not..
 
stenzor said:
I haven't had any random reboots.. it may be a certain app causing all of those reboots by the way
Click to expand...

Of course it's certain apps, for me its any any app that streams music. For some its completely random apps. I'm on phone #2, and I've done a factory reset then installed just Pandora. Uninstalled Pandora and tried Slacker. Etc, etc. There is a problem with the phone that causes reboots and Google has admitted this and is trying to find a fix (and has been for weeks now). BGR has even written about how GNex users are "plagued by reboots." Many people like you were lucky enough to get a perfect phone, but this is a "definite" issue experienced by a lot of users.
 
Verizon Galaxy nexus owner.

I am a phone junkie. Have owned G1, G2,Mytouch 4g, Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant, Atrix, ATT S2 ( returned it)

Also have owned all iPhones.

I won't be hypercritical of the Gnex but can offer some fair advice.

As far as Android phones, the Gnex is the "best" Android phone out there currently. It's not perfect.

But the reason to buy a nexus is because of the timely updates you will get (although there were cloudy reports coming out yesterday saying CDMA Nexus devices are not officially supported by Google because of CDMA technical aspects)

Pros. Screen. 4.65 inch. Gets a little use to holding it. But definitely not too large. Yes I know complaints about pentile but still 1280x720 resolution. Great for videos and pictures.
Android updates faster. We all know the Gnex will be supported and as close to a sure bet to get JellyBean upgrade.

I can almost guarantee you the S2 (at least with USA carriers) will never see jellybean upgrade.

Heck. I can almost guarantee u when the rest of the world gets ice cream sandwich for the S2 sometime this spring. USA users will likely have to wait till late summer/early fall for their ice cream sandwich. Blame both Samsung and the USA carriers.

Cons. Battery life horrible on LTE. That's expected. 2.5 hours LTe streaming before dying. I can make the phone last a day with moderate use. About 4 hours screen time and 14 hours standby. Usually on wifi.

Camera is not good. I have a young toddler. So pics are important. I have given up on using camera and use my iPhone 4s camera. I carry both phones with me. It won't ever replace my Canon T2i DSLR. But the iPhone 4s along with the S2 is leaps better than the Gnex.

Performance is excellence on the GNEx. Still slight lag. But better than previous Android phones.
 
OP, I've done alot of research, played with alot of phones, and imo, this is the BEST phone out there at this time. The complaints you read about in this forum are minor letdowns and not everyone experiences them. I can give you a huge list of pros and cons. The pros and cons list of the gnex looks way better than the ones of the other top phones. Once you fully see the awesomeness of Ice Cream Sandwich, there'll be no other choice. And honestly, even if all the other phones had ICS, I'd still rather have this one. As far as iPhone, it's like a chicken nugget compared to filet mignon. If you've never had an android, it's so customizable, and it has widgets. I can't believe iphones don't have widgets. It's probably because they don't want to look like they are stealing ideas from android, so they can keep pointing the finger at android saying that android itself is a stolen idea. Anyhow, your decision also has to be based on what you want to use it for. I'm let down a little about some things, but overall, I am in AWE of this phone! (Get this phone!!)
 
thanks for all the replies.
first point, I didn't know about two versions? what are the differences?
I'll be getting one on 3 in UK, which probably narrows my options to one?
camera I'm not worried over. odd it's worse that previous models, but I have a 5D2, 450D, and an S95 for taking pics. (see why I am after a good size screen, viewing pics on web is important to me.)

as long as I can text well, browse web, fully featured on all sites, and have a decent email client, oh and make calls well (!) I should be happy.

Pass on all counts?
 
Browsing web is definitely an amazing experience on this phone. Make sure you try out fullscreen and quick controls in browser settings>labs. The stock gmail client is awesome, I don't know about other email, but there are a ton of clients out there I'm sure. Haven't had a single dropped call here but I'm in Canada.

Also remember to get volume+ as soon as you get it and set it to +9 or so. (the "paid" version is downloadable for free from the dev's site)
 
tenchy said:
thanks for all the replies.
first point, I didn't know about two versions? what are the differences?
I'll be getting one on 3 in UK, which probably narrows my options to one?
camera I'm not worried over. odd it's worse that previous models, but I have a 5D2, 450D, and an S95 for taking pics. (see why I am after a good size screen, viewing pics on web is important to me.)

as long as I can text well, browse web, fully featured on all sites, and have a decent email client, oh and make calls well (!) I should be happy.

Pass on all counts?
Click to expand...


Pass on all counts, including 3 network which is best network for Internet access in the UK. For web browsing download ICS Browser + which gives you better thumb controls - two layers on the pop-up wheel, just like Honeycomb. But other than that it's identical to the stock browser, so works very fast. Nova Launcher is a similar deal - based on the stock ICS code, but with added features.

There's only one version available in UK atm I think - a 16GB version, with a 32 gig one becoming available here in the next few weeks/months. If your photos are stored in the cloud then there are plenty of apps to see them, including the stock app which will sync with Picasa web albums, but if local storage is your thing you may want to see when the 32GB model comes out here.
 
tenchy said:
)
as long as I can text well, browse web, fully featured on all sites, and have a decent email client, oh and make calls well (!) I should be happy.

Pass on all counts?
Click to expand...

Yes. There are many different apps for texting, calling and keyboards. I like using GoSMS for texting, Rocketdial for calls, and SwiftKey for a keyboard. Check them out on the android Market. You can try them for free, and if you like them you can buy them for a small price. You also get more features and widgets when you buy apps after a trial (that's called "going pro"). The screen is beautiful! And when your pinch zooming skills get good, you'll love browsing the web! Even on 3G! Many sites have apps that make it easier to use, such as Facebook, Google sites, and using forums. I'm using Tapatalk right now for this and other forums. Awesome.
 
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